Heel attaching machines



A ril'14, 1959 V. H. MEYER ET AL ATTACHING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1957 Inventors Vernon H. M

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HEEL ATTACHI-NG MACHINES 1 Filed April 11, 1957 Vernon H Meyer 7770mm W Snow ,5 Mir I I xiv,

HEEL ATTACHIN G MACHINES United States Patent Vernon H. Meyer, Beverly, and Thomas W. Snow, Melrose, Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N .J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 11, 1957, Serial No. 655,937

13 Claims. (Cl. 1137) This invention relates to heel attaching machines and more specifically to mechanism for positioning shoes in said machines.

Preparatory to attaching a rubber heel and its spotted base lift to a shoe, which is mounted on an arithmetically or geometrically graded last, by the use of the well-known heel attaching machine of the type disclosed in United I States Letters Patent No. 1,157,688, granted October 26,

1915, on an application filed in the name of Lester L. Glidden, the composite heel constituting said rubber heel and base lift is placed in a form or heel ring arranged in a predetermined position over a nailing die. The shoe is positioned right side up on an abutment slide of a depending jack then in a loading or unloading in the machine, are arranged at opposite sides of and are inclined at equal angles to a common median vertical plane of the heel seats of right and left lasts. Accordingly, the operator of the machine has to use a substantial amount of know how in orienting the shoes to their proper positions about the spindle of the jack in order to insure that when the jack is vertically depressed by power to clamp the heel seat of the shoe against the attaching face of the composite heel, the shoe shall be properly positioned with relation to the heel preparatory to driving nails in passages of the nailing die into the heel and the heel seat of the shoe.

In operating upon shoes which are of different sizes graded lasts by the use of the machine-of the type disclosed in said Patent No. 1,157,688, it has been common practice for the operator initially to adjust the back gage,

which is engaged by the rear end of the rand crease of the shoe, heightwise of the shoe to accommodate variations in the heights of lasts upon which the shoes of different sizes are mounted. This initial setting up operation and the swinging of right and left shoes about the spindle to aline the median vertical planes of the heel seats of the shoes with the median vertical plane of the positioned heels in the heel supporting form consumes considerable time and requires the services of a skilled operator. Moreover, the operator often fails initially to adjust the back gage with the result that the :shoe is improperly positioned lengthwise in the machine and accordingly the heel is not positioned correctly lengthwise on the shoe.

It has been found that when shoes of different sizes mounted on geometrically graded lasts, which are disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,948,547,

and are mounted on arithmetically and geometrically granted February 27, 1934, on an application filed in the name of Lawrence E. Topham, are positioned on the jack in its attaching position above the composite heel in the form preparatory to forcing the shoe against the heel, median portions of the back seam lines of the shoes lie substantially in a fixed common plane.

With the foregoing considerations in view applicants have provided a heel attaching machine comprising interchangeable forms having cavities for supporting and positioning heels of different sizes in the machine, means for positioning said forms in the machine with the rear median portions of their cavities located in a fixed position, a jack upon which shoes on geometrically graded lasts respectively of different sizes may be successively mounted, and a back gage for positioning the shoes of dilferent sizes lengthwise in the machine with reference to the heels, said back gage in accordance with a feature of the present invention having a substantially planar face which is adapted to be engaged by the median portions of the back seam lines of the shoes and which faces generally toewardly of the shoe but extends at a slight angle toewardly of the shoe as it extends upwardly of the shoe.

Since the center lines of right and left lasts in right and left shoes respectively positioned in the machine are disposed at equal angles to and are arranged at opposite sides of the median vertical plane of the heel plates of the lasts and accordingly the feather or break lines of shoes mounted on said lasts, it is common practice as above explained to orient said right and left shoes to the right and to the left respectively as viewed from the front of the machine so as to aline the median vertical planes of the heel seats of the shoes with a median vertical plane of the cavity of the form and accordingly the composite heel in said form. Such orientation is commonly carried out manually by eye but is sometimes expedited by the use of abutments which are formed on the last and the jack are brought into register with one another. In the illustrative machine there is provided a form for supporting and positioning a heel, a jack for a shoe which is mounted on a geometrically graded last having a positioning plate, said jack comprising a slide plate having a spindle, a back gage, and in accordance with another feature of the invention, interfitting means between the slide plate of the jack and the positioning plate of the last for quickly and elfectively facilitating the orientation of the last on the spindle to its proper position and for positively retaining said last against rotation from said oriented position, said slide being movable on the jack to move the oriented shoe against the back gage to position the shoe lengthwise with the median vertical plane of its heel seat in alinement with the median vertical plane of the heel in the form.

The present invention consists in the above features and in novel features herein described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, said invention being fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation an illustrative jack for use in a heel attaching machine of the general type disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent No. 1,157,688 and also shows a heel seat of a shoe which is mounted on a geometrically graded last and is forced against a composite heel positioned in a form of said machine preparatory to driving nails into said heel and the heel seat of the shoe;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a work supporting and bracket 36.

fittingly to receive the rubber heel 18 and to position said heel together with the base lift 20 spotted to the heel in a predetermined position. The positions of the form positioning lower end portion of the jack shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the jack;

Fig. 4 is a view showing in plan, right and left geometrically graded lasts in the positions they occupy with relationto the heel receiving form at the time that shoes mounted on said lasts have heels attached to them;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the median vertical outlines of the heel ends of shoes of different sizes which are mounted on geometrically graded lasts and are positioned in the machine by the jack;

Fig. 6 shows in perspective a heel supporting portion of the illustrative heel attaching machine;

Fig. 7 is a view showing, partly on the line VII-VH of Fig. 6, a shoe in the process of having a composite heel attached to it by use of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing, partly in longitudinal section, the rear end of a finished shoe, a peripheral portion trimmed from the heel after the heel attaching operation being shown in dash outline; and

Fig. 9 shows in perspective a modified back gage which may be substituted for the back gage shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The illustrative machine is described with reference to attaching rubber heels 18 and their base lifts 20, hereinafter referred to as composite heels 22, to the heel seats 24 of outsoles 25 of mens shoes 26 which are mounted on geometrically graded lasts 28 having secured to the top "faces 29 of their back cones 28a positioning plates 30 each comprising a flat abutment surface 30a into which extends a thimble 32 and a parallel sided slot 34, said machine being substantially identical with the machine disclosed in said Patent No. 1,157,688 and comprising a bracket 36 (Figs. 6 and 7) which is secured by nuts 38 to upstanding posts 40 forming part of a main frame 41 of the machine.

Mounted upon the bracket 36 is a carriage 42 which bears on a fiat upper surface 44 of the bracket and has at its rear end bores (not shown) for receiving a guide rod 46 secured to the bracket. The carriage 42 is moved against the action of a spring (not shown) to the left, as

viewed in Fig. 6, away from its attaching position against a stop 47 secured to the guide rod 46, over the upper surface 44'of the bracket 36 and an upper surface 49 of a multiple nailing die 51 secured to the bracket 36, in response to movement of a loader block (not shown) from a nail receiving position, whereby to clear the upper face of the nailing die so that nails '48 (Fig. 7) then in passages of the loader block may be dumped from said block into passages 50 of a selected nail design in the nailing die 51, said carriage 42 being moved to its heel attaching position against the stop 47 by the above-mentioned spring as the loader block (not shown) is moved back to its nail receiving position.

Mounted for vertical movement in the passages 50 of the nailing die 51 are drivers 56 (Fig. 7) which are secured to a driver head (not shown) and serve to drive the nails 48, which have been dumped into the passages of I said die, into the composite heel 22 and the heel seat 24 of the shoe 26 clamped by mechanism hereinafter described against the heel, said nails being clenched against a heel plate 58 of the last 28. I The drivers and the driver head to which they are secured may be collectively referred to as a tool.

I when the carriage is in its heel attaching position, being arranged in substantial engagement with and over the upper surface 49 of the nailing die 51 with its passages 64 in register with the passages 50 of a predetermined nail pattern of the nailing die, said upper surface of the die being substantially flush with the upper surface 44 of the The form 62 has a cavity 62b adapted 62, which have cavities 62b of dift'eren sizes, in the guide way of the carriage 42 may be quickly established by the engagement of a spring-pressed plunger 66, which is slidingly mounted in a bore (not shown) of the carriage 42, in bores (not shown) respectively of the forms, said forms being so positioned in the carriage that their extreme rear ends are in the same fixed position.

The geometrically graded last 28 having the shoe 26 mounted on it is manually presented right side up to a jack 68 swung forwardly and upwardly to the predetermined loading and unloading position shown in dash lines (Fig. 1), the jack then being swung back to a predetermined vertical or attaching position shown in full lines with a rear end 70a of a break or feather line 70 of the overlasted counter portion of the shoe arranged above and just forwardly of the rear end of an attaching face 20a of the base lift 20 of the composite heel 22 positioned in the form. The rim of the attaching face 20a of the heel 22 lies substantially in a plane.

The main frame 41 of the machine has a vertical guideway 72 along which is slidingly movable a plunger 74 having formed integral with it a multipart guide housing 76 which has an undercut guideway 78 for receiving a re taining slide 80 comprising a depending bifurcated lug 82 bored to receive a bearing .pin 84. The guide housing 76 and the retaining slide 80 have slots (not shown) for receiving a bolt 86 onto which is threaded an internally and externally threaded sleeve 88 having mounted on it a handle 90 provided with a pin 92 fitting selectively in one of a plurality of grooves 93 formed in a lower flange portion of the sleeve. The handle 90 and accordingly the threaded sleeve 88 are turned to bind the guide housing 86 and the retaining slide 80 together, a nut 94 being provided to secure the threaded sleeve in its clamping position.

The jack 68 comprises a post 96 having at its upper end a narrowed portion fitting between bifurcations of the lug 82 and journaled on the bearing pin 84, said post having formed on it a spring-pressed toggle plunger 97 having a V-shaped upper end which bears in a notch 99 formed in the bottom of the depending lug 82 and serves to retain the post in its loading and unloading position and in its attaching position. The loading and unloading and the attaching positions of the jack 68 are established by the engagement of the upper faces 101 and 103 respectively of the post 96 with the bottom face of the retaining slide 80. The lower end of the jack post 96 has formed integral with it a forwardly projecting flange 96a and a pair of laterally spaced depending flanges 96b (Fig. 3) bored to receive a supporting pin 98 secured by a screw to one of said depending flanges. Journaled upon the pin 98 are depending lugs a of a guide housing 100 having a T-shaped guideway 102, said housing being constantly held against a stop screw 104, which is adjustably secured to the forwardly projecting flange 96a of the post 96, by a pair of stout springs 106 upper and lower ends of which are attached to studs 108, 110 secured respectively to the post 96 and to the guide housing 100.

Mounted for rectilinear movement in the T-shaped guideway 102 of the housing 100 is an abutment slide 112 having secured to it a spindle 114 which projects beyond an abutment surface 116 of the slide. The slide 112 is constantly urged forward toward a stop 118, which is secured to the guide housing 100, by a spring 120 supported in a bore 122 of the slide and surrounding a centralizing rod 124 threaded into a plate 126 secured by screws 128 to the rear end of the guide housing. Bindingly mounted upon the supporting pin 98 between the depending lugs 100a of the guide housing 100 is a pair of spaced lugs of a back gage 130 the operating position of which is established by a stop screw 132 threaded into a cross bar 134 secured by screws 136 to the depending flanges 96b of the jack post 96.

In order initially to position the guide housing 100 widthwise between the depending lugs 96b of the jack :post96 with a vertical median plane 137 of the housing in alinement with a central vertical plane 139 (Figs. 4

:and 6) of the heel supporting form 62 and accordingly with the rubber heel 18 and the base lift 20 positioned, in the form, there is provided a pair of screws 138 which are threaded into said lugs and are lightly engaged by the depending lugs 100a respectively of the housing, the spindle 114 being so arranged that the axis 140 thereof lies in the central plane 137 of the guide housing and accordingly in a median vertical plane of the abutment slide 112.

It will be understood that the center lines 142, 142a (Fig. 4) of left and right lasts 28 respectively are inclined at equal angles alpha to and are located at opposite sides of the median vertical planes 144 of the heel seats of the lasts, which heel seats are substantially defined by outer U-shaped edges of the associated heel plates 58 of the lasts. It Will be apparent that since the shoes are shaped to the last that the median vertical plane 144 of the heel seat of the last is also the median vertical plane of the feather or break line 70 of the overlasted counter portion of the shoe.

The rear portions of the heel plates 58 of geometrically graded lasts 28 of different sizes and accordingly the rear .portions of the break or feather lines 70 of the overlasted counter portions of shoes of different sizes on said lasts are centered respectively about the axes 146 of the thimbles 32 of said lasts. Accordingly the shoe 26 on the jack 68 may be rotated about the spindle 114 to orient the shoe so that the median vertical plane 144 of its heel seat portion lies in the median vertical plane 139 of the composite heel 22 positioned upon the form 62, said rear end of the shoe retaining a predetermined relation with respect to the rear median portion of the attaching face of the said heel.

Inorder properly to orient the shoe 26 mounted on the last 28 about the spindle 114 and accordingly about the axis 146 of the thimble 32 on said spindle the operator, as he mounts the last on the spindle, rotates the shoe and the last upon the spindle until the parallel sided slot 34 fittingly receives a stud 148 which is equare in cross section, the shoe then being moved rearward, that is away from the operator, together with the abutment slide 112 until a median portion of the back seam line 150 of the shoe engages a flat face 152 of the back gage 130. The median vertical plane 137 of the guide housing 100 includes the axis 146 of the spindle 32 and the center of the stud 148.

It will be noted, as illustrated in Fig. 5, that when shoes 26 of different sizes built on geometrically graded lasts 28 are positioned in the machine with the abutment surfaces 30a of the positioning plates 30 of the lasts in engagement with the abutment surface 116 of the slide,

said lasts being mounted on said spindle 114 and being oriented on the spindle by the engagement of the stud 148 in the slot 34 of the positioning plate 30 and the rear ends of the feather lines 70 of the shoes being vertically arranged above one another, median portions of the back seam lines 150 of the shoes extend along one another in substantially tangential relation.

It will be appreciated that a modified back gage 130a (Fig. 9) having a work-engaging face 152a of narrow width and generated by a straight line or element 154 extending toewardly of the shoe as it extends upwardly of the shoe and is moved parallel to itself generally width- ,wise of the shoe but having a widthwise curvature greater than that of the opposing end portion of the shoe, may be effectively engaged by a median portion of the back seam line 150 of the shoe to position the shoe lengthwise in the machine. The back gages 130 or 130a are adapted to position shoes, which are built on geometrically graded lasts 28 and are of different sizes, without initially having to adjust the back gages vertically of the shoe as is the .general practice in positioning heels in heel attaching machines now in commercial use.

By providing the abutment slide 112 with the stud148 which projects beyondthe abutment surface 116 of the slide and providing the geometrically graded last with the positioning plate 30 having a parallel sided slot the lengthwise axis of which lies in the median vertical plane of the heel seat portion of the last, it is possible for'the operator quickly and effectively to position right and left shoes mounted 'on geometrically graded lasts 28 so that the median vertical plane of the heel seats of the lasts and accordingly of the shoes mounted on said lasts lie in the median vertical plane 139 of the heel supporting form and accordingly the heelsupport in said form 62. Moreover, the initially set back gage 130 01 130a will accommodate shoes which are mounted on geometrically graded lasts and are of different sizes without having initially to adjust the back gage.

By providing the above improvements it is possible for an inexperienced operator to increase the output of a heel attaching machine, the shoes mounted on the-lasts being positioned quickly and effectively in. the machine with a minimum amount of effort on the part of the operator. Mechanisms such as above described are also useful in the automatic presentation of work to heel attaching machines such as disclosed in application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 680,511, filed August 27, 1957, in the names of Ferman N. Lee et al.

It will be noted that a vertical line 156 (Fig. 5) passing through the rear end a of the feather line 70 of the shoe 26 positioned in the machine intersects a plane of the top face 29 of the back cone of the last 28, upon which the shoe is mounted, substantially at a point 158. An axis 160 of the supporting pin 98, which extends widthwise or transversely of the shoe positioned in the machine, passes substantially through the point 158. As above explained, it has been found that when the plane of the face 152 forms with a vertical plane, which extends transversely of the shoe and includes the line 156, a dihedral angle of approximately 7, the face 152 will acommodate most styles and sizes of shoes without requiring angular adjustment of the back gage 130. When extreme styles of shoes are being operated upon, the overlapping portion of approximate tangency of the back seam lines 150 of said shoes positioned in the machine may shift slightly from their positions shown in Fig. 5 in which event the'gage may be anguarly adjusted slightly about the axis 160.

The planar Work-engaging face 152 of the back gage 130 may be described as being disposed at a slight angle to a vertical transverse plane of the heel seat of the shoe positioned in the machine and as extending rearward of the shoe as it extends toward said heel. The face 152 may also be described as extending at a slight angle toewardly of the shoe positioned in the machine as it extends upwardly of the shoe or as extending at'aislight angle toward the spindle 114 as it extends toward the slide 112. The face 152 of the back gage may also be described as being formed by a line of generation which is moved substantially parallel to itself widthwiseofthe shoe and extends toewardly of the shoe at a slightangle as it extends upwardly of the shoe or maybe described as extending toeward of the shoe and diverging at a slight angle with relation to an axis of the spindle as it extends away from the slide.

Although the jack 68 has been described with reference to movement between a loading and unloading position or station and an attaching positionor station it will be understood that if desirable sai-d'jack post 96 maybe secured by a screw (not shown) in its attaching position shownin Figs. 1 and 2 against the retaining slide 80. When the jack 68 is thus positioned the'work is mounted upon the abutment slide 112 as above described and is slid rearwardly along said then stationary post- 96 until the rear end of the shoe engages the back gage 130.

It is also contemplated to cause the jack 68 with the work positioned on it toremain stationary in its heel attaching station and to raise the form 76 to press the heel against the heel seat 24 of the shoe preparatory to driving nails into the heel and the heel seat of the shoe.

With such a construction the back page 130 will be fixed to the main frame of the machine and in said fixed position will accommodate shoes of different styles and sizes without having to be initially adjusted.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of: the United States is:

1. In a heel attaching machine, an interchangeable form having a cavity for supporting and positioning a heel of a predetermined size in the machine, means for positioning said form in the machine with the rear median portion of its cavity located in a fixed position, a jack upon which shoes on geometrically graded lasts of different sizes are successively mounted, and a back gage for positioning shoes of different sizes lengthwise in the machine with reference to the heel in the heel form, said back gage having a substantially planar work-engaging face which is adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the particular shoe mounted on said jack and is disposed at a slight angle to the vertical transverse plane of the heel seat of the shoe and extends rearward of the shoe as it extends toward the heel seat of said shoe.

2. In a heel attaching machine, a form for supporting and positioning a heel, a jack for a shoe which is mounted on a geometrically graded last having a positioning plate, said jack comprising a slide plate having a spindle, a back gage, and interfitting means between the slide plate of the jack and the positioning plate of the last adapted quickly and effectively to facilitate the orientation of the last to its proper position on the spindle and for positively retaining said last against rotation from sad oriented position, said slide being movable on the jack to transfer the positively oriented shoe upon the slide against the back gage to position the shoe lengthwise with a median vertical plane of its heel seat in alinement with a median vertical plane of the heel in said form.

3. In a machine for use in the manufacture of shoes, a tool operative in a predetermined path, a support which is adapted to be engaged by a back cone of a geometrically graded last having a shoe mounted on it and which is adapted to facilitate the widthwise positioning and orienting of the heel seat of the shoe with relation to the path of movement of the tool, means for guiding the support lengthwise of the heel seat of said shoe, and a back gage having a generally planar face which is adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe on the support whereby to position said shoe lengthwise, said planar face extending at a slight angle toewardly of the shoe as it extends upwardly of 4 said shoe.

4. In a machine for attaching heels to Shoes, a form for supporting a heel, a support which is adapted to be interfittingly engaged by a back cone of a geometrically graded last having a shoe mounted on it and is adapted to facilitate the widthwise positioning and orienting of the heel end of the shoe with relation to a heel supported by -the form, means for guiding the support for movement generally lengthwise of the last, and a gage having a face adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe, said face being formed by a line of generation which is movable substantially parallel to itself generally withdwise of the shoe positioned in the machine and which extends toewardly of the shoe at a slight angle as it extends upwardly of the shoe.

beyond said face and has orienting means, said support being adapted to receive a geometrically graded last upon which a shoe is mounted and which has a back cone provided with orienting means and a top face into which extends a thimble, said spindle being adapted to have the thimble of the last slidingly mounted on it until the top face of the last engages the abutment face of the support and the orienting means of the support and the last are interengaged to effect orientation of the last about the spindle with the heel seat of the shoe centered with relation to the path of movement of the tool, means for guiding the support lengthwise of the heel seat of the shoe, and a back gage having a generally planar face which is adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe on the support whereby to position said shoe lengthwise, said planar face extending at a slight angle toewardly of the shoe as it extends upwardly of the shoe.

6. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a tool, a jack adapted to support a shoe mounted on a geometrically graded last which has a back cone face and a thim'ble extending into said face, a back gage, said jack comprising a post and a slide movable on the post and having an abutment face and a spindle which projects beyond said face and is adapted to have said thimble and accordingly said last fittingly slid onto it until said back cone face of the last engages said abutment face, and means for locating said post in a predetermined active position with reference to the tool, said back gage having a planar face adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of a shoe on the last mounted on said spindle in response to manual orientation of the last on the spindle and movement of the slide with relation to the back gage whereby to position said shoe with relation to the tool, said face of the back gage, when engaged by said median portion only of said back seam line of the shoe, extending transversely of the shoe and extending at a slight angle toward the spindle as it extends toward the slide.

7. A jack adapted to support a shoe mounted on a geometrically graded last, which has a thimble and an orienting portion, and to position said shoe with relation to a tool for operating upon said shoe, said jack comprising a post adapted to be moved to a predetermined operating position with relation to said tool, an abutment slide movable on the post and comprising a spindle which is adapted fittingly to receive said thimble of the last, and an orienting portion adapted to cooperate with the orienting portion of the last positively to locate said last in a predetermined position upon the spindle, and a back gage having a substantially planar face which is adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe mounted and positioned on the abutment slide to position the last and the shoe on it lengthwise on said post, said face of the back gage being disposed at right angles to a vertical median plane of a heel plate of the last and diverging with relation to the axis of the spindle as it extends away from the slide.

8. A jack for use in a heel attaching machine and adapted to position lengthwise and widthwise in said machine a shoe mounted upon a geometrically graded last which has a back cone provided with a positioning plate having formed in it a thimble having an axis and a parallel sided groove a median lengthwise plane of which extends through the axis of the thimble and is arranged centrally with relation to a heel seat of the last, said jack comprising a post mounted for movement between a loading and unloading position and an attaching position, a. housing supported by the post and having a rectilinear guideway, means for initially adjusting the housing upon the post about an axis extending transversely of the housing, an abutment slide which is slidingly mounted in said guideway, a stop carried by the housing, a spring for constantly urging the abutment slide to a rest position in said guideway against the stop, said abutment slide having a. fiat work pressing face and having a spindle and a stud which extend beyond said face, said spindle being adapted fittingly to receive the thimble of the last and to permit the positioning plate of the last to engage said pressing face of the abutment slide with said stud engaging in the groove of the positioning plate of the last whereby to centralize widthwise the heel seat of the shoe mounted on the last on the slide plate, and a back gage mounted upon said post and having a planar face adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe on the jack, said face of the back gage being disposed at right angles to a median vertical plane of the heel seat of the last and converging with relation to the spindle at an angle of approximately 7 as it approaches said guideway.

9. A jack adapted to position lengthwise and widthwise in a heel attaching machine a shoe mounted on a geometrically graded last which has a back cone provided with a positioning plate having a thimble and a parallel sided slot a lengthwise median plane of which extends through an axis of the thimble and is arranged centrally of a heel seat of the last, said jack comprising a guideway, an abutment slide movable along the guideway and having an abutment surface and also having secured to it a spindle and a stud which project beyond said abutment surface, said stud being of suitable size to fit in the slot formed in the positioning plate of the last, said spindle being adapted fittingly to receive the thimble of the last and to permit the positioning plate of the last to engage the abutment surface of the abutment slide with the stud fitting in the slot of said positioning plate whereby positively to orient the last and accordingly the shoe upon the spindle with its heel seat centralized upon the slide plate, and a back gage which is arranged in a predetermined operating position with relation to said guideway and has a planar face which is adapted to be engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe and lies in a plane extending transversely of the guideway and which approaches the spindle at a slight angle as it approaches the abutment slide.

10. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die, a form for positioning a heel with relation to said die, and a jack for a shoe mounted upon a geometrically graded last having a back cone which is provided with a fiat abutment surface and a thimble opening into said surface, said jack comprising a post mounted for swinging movement between a loading and unloading position and an attaching position, a back gage mounted on the post, an abutment slide mounted for rectilinear movement on the post toward and away from the back gage, said abutment slide having a flat abutment surface and a spindle which projects beyond said surface and when the post is in its loading and unloading position fittingly receives the thimble of the last until said abutment surface of the last engages the abutment surface of the slide, said back gage having a planar face which is engaged by the median portion only of the back seam line of the shoe on the last and is adapted to position the shoe lengthwise of the machine as the jack is moved to its attaching position, said planar face of the back gage extending forwardly of the shoe at a slight angle as it extends upwardly of the shoe, a stop for positioning the jack at its attaching position, and power means for moving the jack in a predetermined path to cause a heel seat of the shoe to be forced against the heel in said form preparatory to attaching the heel to the shoe.

11. In a heel attaching machine, a form for supporting a heel having an attaching face .a rim of which lies substantially in a plane, a jack having a last pin and adapted to receive a geometrically graded last upon which is mounted a shoe to be attached to the heel, means for orienting a heel seat portion of the shoe on the last pin of the jack, and a power operated plunger, said jack being movable on the plunger between a loading and unloading position and a heel attaching position, and a back gage adapted to be engaged by the median portion of the back seam line of the shoe to position the shoe lengthwise on the jack in its heel attaching position, said back gage having a planar face which is disposed at right angles to a vertical median plane of the heel seat of the shoe in engagement with said gage and which is inclined at an angle of approximately 83 to a general plane of a rim of the attaching face of the heel in said form.

12. In a machine for operating on shoes, a support comprising a post movable in a fixed plane between two fixed positions, and a slide which i slidable on said post in said plane and has an abutment face and which has orienting means and a spindle extending beyond said face, said support being adapted to receive a last upon which a shoe is mounted and which has a back cone provided with orienting means and a top face into which extends a thimble, said spindle being adapted to have the thimble of the last slidingly mounted on it until the top face of the last engages the abutment face of the slide, said orienting means of the slide and the last being interengageable as the last is mounted upon the spindle whereby to effect positive orientation of the last upon the spindle with the median vertical plane of the heel seat of the last arranged in said fixed plane.

13. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a jack adapted to position lengthwise and widthwise a last which has a shoe mounted on it and has a back cone provided with a positioning plate having a thimble and having a parallel sided slot, a median vertical plane of which extends through an axis of the spindle and is arranged centrally of the heel seat of the last, said jack comprising a post movable in a fixed plane between two fixed positions, said post having a guideway, and an abutment slide movable along the guideway and having an abutment surface and also having secured to it a spindle and a stud which project beyond said abutment face, said stud being of a suitable size to fit in the slot formed in the positioning plate of the last, said spindle being adapted fittingly to receive the thimble of the last and to permit the positioning plate of the last to engage the abutment surface of the slide with the stud fitting in the slot of the positioning plate whereby positively to orient the last and accordingly the shoe on the spindle with its heel seat centralized upon the slide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,133,533 Buckminster Mar. 30, 1915 1,138,948 Glidden May 11, 1915' 1,157,688 Glidden Oct. 26, 1915 1,204,928 Ashton Nov. 14, 1916 1,920,281 Standish Aug. 1, 1933 2,003,015 Simmons May 28, 1935 2,111,512 Naceski Mar. 15, 1938 

